Interactive systems connected by wide area networks, such as the Internet, have steadily evolved into vibrant mediums for social interaction. For example, social network sites are fast growing phenomena that provide an interactive medium through which users can grow a network of friends for sharing personal information, as well as for exchanging digital media such as music and videos. Social network sites have become an increasingly influential part of contemporary popular culture around the world. A social network site focuses on the building and verifying of online social networks for communities of people who share interests and activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Most social network services are primarily web based and provide a collection of various ways for users to interact, such as chat, messaging, email, video, voice chat, file sharing, blogging, discussion groups, and the like.
In general, social networking services, such as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo, allow users to create a profile for themselves. Users can upload a picture of themselves and can often be “friends” with other users. In most social network sites, both users must confirm that they are friends before they are linked. For example, if Alice lists Bob as a friend, then Bob would have to approve Alice's friend, request before they are listed as friends. Some social network sites have a “favorites” feature that does not need approval from the other user. Social networks usually have privacy controls that allow the user to choose who can view their profile or contact them. In connection with social network sites, users typically create personalized web pages that display personal information about the users (e.g., name, age, gender, location, etc.). The user may include text, images, photos, and other content to share with other users. The user may periodically add or change content to the personalized web page after it is created.